12-04-23 Daily-Odisha-OPSC Current Affairs

The Union Ministry of Tourism, inter-alia, promotes tourist destinations of India, including the Saptha Moksha Puri (Seven Liberation destinations), viz., Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi Avantika (Ujjain), Puri (Odisha) and Dwaravati (Dwaraka, Gujarat), in a holistic manner.

The Ministry undertakes promotional campaigns in domestic and global markets through electronic, print and digital media to promote the various tourist destinations and products of the country. Further promotions are also undertaken through the official web-site as well as through Social Media handles of the Ministry.

Besides, the Ministry provides financial assistance under the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme with an objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations in consultation with the respective State Governments.

The Swadesh Darshan Scheme has been revamped to SD 2.0 for development of sustainable and responsible tourist destinations and Dwarka has been selected for development under SD 2.0.

The 2023 International Prize in Statistics, which is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in statistics, has been awarded to Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, an Indian-American statistician. The prize, established in 2016, is presented once every two years to an individual or team that has made significant contributions to science, technology, and human welfare through the use of statistics. The award is given out by a collaboration of five major international statistics organizations and recognizes major accomplishments by an individual or team. Rao will be honored with the prize, which carries an $80,000 cash award, at the International Statistical Institute World Statistics Congress in Ottawa, Canada, in July.

In addition to being awarded the Padma Bhusan in 1968 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001, Rao was the recipient of the SS Bhatnagar Prize in 1963 and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1967. He also received the Wilks Medal of the American Statistical Association in 1979 and the US National Medal of Science in 2002

The Index HDI measures the Average achievement of a country in three basic dimensions of human development a long and healthy life, Education and a decent standard of living. Human Development index is calculated using four indicators life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross NATIONAL INCOME (GNI) per capita.

This score is a remarkable improvement compared to the South Asian regions average value of 0.508 and is close to the world average of 0.465, and India ranks 132 out of 191 countries

India ranked 132nd among 191 countries and territories on the 2021 Human Development Index (HDI). In the 2020 report, India had ranked 131st among 189 countries and territories. The decline in the countrys performance from its previous level was on account of a fall in life expectancy

Among Indias neighbours, Sri Lanka (73rd), China (79th), Bangladesh (129th), and Bhutan (127th) are ranked above India, while Pakistan (161st), Nepal (143rd), and Myanmar (149th) are worse off. The report said around 90 per cent of countries registered a decline in their HDI value in 2020 or in 2021

NASAs Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument has successfully launched, marking a significant step forward in the monitoring of major air pollutants. The instrument will provide unprecedented resolution, allowing scientists to observe air quality from space with accuracy down to just four square miles. The TEMPO mission aims to revolutionize the way air quality is monitored, helping to improve life on Earth.

The instrument was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Intelsat 40E satellite carried the payload, which separated from the rocket around 32 minutes after launch. Signal acquisition occurred at 1:14 a.m. TEMPO commissioning activities will begin in late May or early June

Nepal and India are preparing to sign an agreement to allow cross-border digital payments through e-wallets, a move that is expected to boost trade and tourism between the two countries by eliminating currency exchange issues. The accord, expected to be signed during Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahals visit to India, will allow Indian tourists in Nepal to make digital payments through Indian e-wallets like BharatPe, PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm.

The two countries have agreed to the deal, and officials from both countries are awaiting signatures. The launch of digital payment Services will eliminate the hassle of carrying large amounts of cash for Indian tourists and businessmen in Nepal and is expected to increase inter-operable real-time person-to-person (P2P) and merchant payment transactions (P2M) in Nepal

India elected as member of UN Statistical Commission Narcotic Drugs and the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Program

India has recently been elected as a member of the United Nations (UN) Statistical Commission Narcotic Drugs and the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Program, signaling the countrys increasing presence in the international arena. The decision was made during a vote held at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

India, along with South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and China, were vying for two seats from the Asia Pacific States category. In the first round of voting, South Korea received 23 votes, while China and the UAE received 19 and 15 votes, respectively.

A recent report by Tibet Press highlights that, according to the Freedom in the World Index for 2023 published by international watchdog Freedom House, Tibet is the country with the least freedom in the world. The report, titled Freedom in the World 2023 Report, was released by Freedom House on March 9 and identified Tibet, South Sudan, and Syria as the least-free countries in the world.

This is the third consecutive year that Tibet has been ranked at the bottom of the list in Freedom Houses surveys conducted in 2021 and 2022. The report stated that residents of Tibet were deprived of basic rights, both Chinese and Tibetan, and that the Chinese government is ruthless in suppressing any signs of dissent among Tibetans